Information and Commons Governance - Institut des sciences de la communication

"Commons are informational, natural and knowledge resources which are governed collectively by communities of users rather than by State or private actors only. Digital commons, produced and distributed via Information and Communication Technologies, are reproducible and non exclusive, but equally subjected to risks of commodification, exclusion, exhaustion and pollution. Tangible and natural commons, such as traditional knowledge, genetic resources, biodiversity and even share energy reveal comparable stakes in terms of geopolitical power relations, resource preservation and global justice. Methodological frameworks developed for tangible commons are used and compared with cases of digital commons. The research group studies the techno-legal framework of information sharing and information resources policies and disposal conditions according to two thematics:  Open Access: public sector information, scientific publications, big data, public domain works, digital heritage;  Information commons infrastructure: law and licenses, distributed architectures, platforms, networks and communities, comparison between natural and digital commons. Information commons production and distribution architectures are museums, libraries, archives and communication networks. The Access to Knowledge movement develops a political agenda, mobilised by online communities. Copyright and open licenses constitute the legal framework for participation and reuse, affecting more largely fundamental rights such as responsibility, transparency, freedom of expression and privacy. Members of the research group meet for informal discussions on their ongoing research projects and more structured seminar presentations ..."